Closings

Severe Weather

Police dog finds, fires stolen pistol in Lawrence

An Essex County police dog searching for a stolen pistol in Lawrence was able to locate the weapon Saturday morning but not without managing to fire it with his paw.

Police Chief John Romero said Ivan, a specially trained police dog, was searching for the pistol in a snow bank near Crescent and May streets when the weapon discharged into a home at 82 Crescent St. No one was hurt.

“Somehow the dog, in scratching, had somehow got to the trigger area, and the gun had fired,” Romero said. “I've been in this business a long time. I've seen a lot of K-9's locate weapons. This is the first time I've seen a case of where the gun discharged.”

Romero said the dog was startled but otherwise OK.

“These dogs that make it through the training are very courageous animals. They're the best of the best,” Romero said.

Cesar Brito and his two young nieces were inside the house at the time but said the family didn’t know what happened until police arrived.

“I just saw a bunch of police officers here. I didn't even know what happened,” he said. “I think they (the girls) were sleeping through the whole thing.”

Ivan had been searching for the weapon after an officer parked in a cruiser heard three gunshots coming from a building on Reservoir Street at about 2 a.m. When the officer pulled to the front of the building, he allegedly saw a gray Honda Accord with three men inside fleeing the scene at a high rate of speed.

Police said when the officer was able to pull the car over at the intersection of Crescent and May, the driver, Jose Calderon, 28, jumped out and allegedly began burying something in the snow. He then got back in the car.

When other officers arrived, Calderon and two other men, Alexander Gonzalez, 21, and Jorge Henriquez, 26, were all ordered out of the car at gunpoint.

Police said after finding a 9 mm bullet casing in the backseat, Ivan was called in to search the snow bank for the weapon.

All three men were taken into custody and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, receiving a firearm with a defaced serial number and receiving stolen property.

Calderon was also charged with discharging a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license. All three men are scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Lawrence District Court.

Copyright 2013 by WCVB.comAll rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.